The Essence of Love
by Japanese Green Tea
Summary: Sakuno is having problems getting Ryoma to notice her, but that's not all. Fuji is also after him and he's relentless. Ryoma, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care. Or does he? GP as well.
1. The Beginning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis. Unfortunately…

This is my first fanfic so don't expect anything that good. Also, for that reason, flames are not my responsibility. Just kidding. I'll readily take any type of flames. –puts on fireproof gear-

Also, this was originally in poem form, so there will be a lot of switching from view to view and it will sound a bit choppy in some places.

* * *

**Day 1 – Wednesday**

Dear Diary,

I've always watched him from afar. His face is soft and pure and looks so childish. His golden eyes always glow with determination and I just can't help admiring him. Ever since the day I met him and gave him incorrect instructions (I still feel bad about that), I've been having these feelings.

He probably never notices me. I'm probably wasting my time. But I don't know anything. He's inspired me so much and he's why I practice so much. Maybe if I'm good at tennis, he'll respect me more. I doubt I'll ever be as good as him though. Or even be able to play a decent game. He won't notice me even if I _am_ good at it. I'm too clumsy and quiet and I don't deserve him. I also made a really bad first impression. There's no hope.

-Ryuzaki Sakuno

* * *

"Momo-senpai, you eat too much," Echizen Ryoma blatantly informed the taller boy who was stuffing his face with burgers.

"Well, I can't help it if I'm hungry," Momoshiro Takeshi said to his kouhai.

"You didn't call me out just to eat, right? What was it you had to tell me?"

"Oh right, that," Momo remembered, wiping ketchup from his mouth with the back of his hand. "You know Ryuzaki Sakuno?"

"Ryuzaki Sakuno? Who's that?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. The one with the long braids."

"Oh, that girl. What about her?" Ryoma inquired.

"Have you ever noticed anything?"

"Notice? Notice what?" Ryoma asked, voice and face expressionless. If he thought anything about the girl, he didn't let it show.

Momo went on. Not wanting to say it too directly, he hinted, "You know how she…always…looks at…like

this…yeah…and…yeah…"

"Momo-senpai, you're not making sense."

"Eh, never mind." Echizen only thought of tennis anyway. There was no point in pushing the matter any further. It wouldn't get through that thick skull of his.

"If that's it, I'm going home."

"Okay, bye. I'll go as soon as I finish my snack."

Ryoma looked at Momo wolfing down his food and then at the mountain of burgers on the table that covered the big red tray. _Snack…I'm surprised he doesn't have financial problems with the way he eats everyday._ He pulled down his white cap to hide his rolling eyes and left.

* * *

Oishi Syuichirou paced the length of his aquatic bedroom, hands clasped behind his back.

"Eiji…I have something to tell you," he started, "I…

"No, that won't work.

"Eiji…do you like me?

"Too direct!

"Eiji…will you marry me?

"What am I saying!"

The Seigaku fukubuchou collapsed on his bed. "I give up. I'll tell him another day," he thought aloud and turned over on his blue blanket, unaware that Kikumaru Eiji was in his own room doing the same.

* * *

Momoshiro patted his spiked-up hair to make sure it was in place as he proceeded up the stairs. "Taku…Echizen is so dense."

He dropped onto his unmade bed in his messy bedroom. Notebooks, tennis equipment, clothes, and a variety of other junk (including candy wrappers and crumbs) laid scattered from corner to corner. The corners of his desk were just barely visible under the manga volumes and CD's. It was hard to distinguish his bed from the clothes lying on the floor. Apparently, he only cleaned his room once a month.

"Doesn't he see her blush every time? He's so slow," Momo asked no one in particular, "I mean, what else does he want? He has all these girls surrounding him and he's so good at English. That inconsiderate brat!" Momo kicked his clothes off the bed out of anger.

"Well, it's not my problem. That reminds me. I'm hungry."

Momo went down the stairs for the second time in less than five minutes and walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and exclaimed, "Hey! Who ate all the cake!"

* * *

A middle-aged man in a monk's attire sat lazily on his side, one hand propped up against his cheek and one foot swaying a rope attached to a giant bell. A magazine laid sprawled before him. He mumbled, face flushed, as he turned each page. The mumbles sounded suspiciously like, "These girls are so hot,"

"Oyaji." A voice interrupted his thoughts which were sure to be naughty ones.

"What is it, Ryoma?" Echizen Nanjirou asked, annoyed that his son interfered with his "reading."

Ryoma ordered, "Play a serious game with me."

"Eh? A game? It's rare for you to ask, but mada mada dane. I don't want to right now."

"When I request a game, you refuse to play. When you ask for one, I don't want to, but you force me anyway," said Ryoma, bearing the -.- expression on his face.

"Mada mada dane."

"Yarou…" Ryoma muttered and went to practice on his own.

The soft pat of the tennis ball resounded as it hit the wall, bounced off the ground, and made contact with the red racket. Ryoma hit the ball to the same spot consecutively with pinpoint precision. _Baka oyaji. Just you wait. You'll be crying when I finally defeat you. _the ball whizzed past the boy as it ricocheted off the bricks due to the large amount of force put into it.

His mind traveled to other worthy rivals. _Buchou… One day I will defeat you too. I'll steal Seigaku's pillar from under your nose and far surpass you. _Ryoma served another ball and hit it with twice as much force. _Fuji-senpai… Our game was stopped because of the rain. You were ahead by one game, but I would've made a comeback if Ryuzaki-sensei did not stop us. Don't think you've won just yet. _His eyes adjusted to the speed of the ball and he didn't miss it this time. He hit it with yet more force than before. The small boy continued hitting heavy, angry balls until he lowered his arms, letting the ball fall to the ground. Ryoma stood before the wall of tennis players, head down, cap covering his eyes, feeling both determined and discouraged.

**Day 2 – Thursday**

Dear Diary,

I'm kind of jealous of Tomo-chan. I know I shouldn't be since she's my best friend and everything, but I can't help it. I wish I was loud and open like her. I wish I can shout, "Ryoma-sama!" bravely like her. But when I try to say his name, it comes out as a faint "Ryoma-kun…" It's so faint you can hardly hear my voice at all.

If only I was good at tennis, then I would be more confident. If only I wasn't so clumsy. If only I can get him to notice me. If only I didn't always blush and embarrass myself in front of him. If only I could speak to him and have something good to talk to him about. When he talks to me, my throat ties up and I lose my speech.

-Ryuzaki Sakuno

* * *

Fuji Syusuke's Journal

It's really cute. Yes, it is. When I see Ryuzaki and Echizen talking, I smile. The two first-years are about the same height. The arrogant, confident boy and the shy, blushing girl balance each other out. They talk both off and on the courts. She rushes in during the middle of the game when he's hurt, all the while worrying about him, while he insists on going on.

Is it fate? They tend to bump into each other a lot? Coincidence? Maybe so. But fate plays a part in it too. Is it written that they'll live happily each after? This is proceeding like a common fairy tale, but things can be changed. After all, it is only the beginning and the major struggles haven't appeared yet. They may look cute together, but it makes me a bit jealous too when I see them. I had hoped that Echizen would only submit to me.

* * *

"Go! Go! Ryoma-sama!" Osakada Tomoka screeched at the top of her lungs. She and Sakuno were at the boys' tennis courts at one of those rare times when BOTH Tomoka didn't have to baby-sit her two little brothers and Sakuno was free of her own tennis practice.

"Ryoma-sama is just amazing. Ne, Sakuno?" Tomoka turned to her friend.

"Ah…hai…"

"What's with that response?"

"Ah…nothing," Sakuno muttered and looked up at Tomoka, forcing a smile.

"Come on, Sakuno. Cheer with me! Go! Go! Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka raised Sakuno's arm and jumped in place.

"Ah! Tomo-chan! You're going to pull it off." Tomoka was only an inch or so taller than her friend but her arms were surely longer.

Ryoma, at the moment, was having a practice match with a third-year regular, Kawamura Takashi.

"Moeruze! BURNING!" The double-personality sushi chef yelled.

"Kawamura-senpai," said the first-year regular, "You're using too much strength."

"Go! Go! Ryoma-sama! R-Y-O-M-A-S-A-M-A! RYOMA-SAMA!"

Ryoma winced. _That girl is so annoying and loud. She talks too much. Who is she anyway? She's always loitering at my matches. What's with her? Doesn't she have any club activities?_

"Don't look away, Echizen! Burning!"

"Ah!" Ryoma said in surprise and returned to his game.

* * *

Horio, a first-year with a unibrow, informed his other first-year friends, Katsuo and Kachiro, "A showdown between the Golden Pair! This will be interesting. Who will win? Will it be Kikumaru-senpai with his flashy acrobatic play? Or will it be Oishi-senpai with his logical play? They also know each other's tennis styles very well, so it will be tough."

"You don't always have to tell us," Kachiro told his show-offy friend.

"Yeah, we already know," Katsuo sided with Kachiro.

"Ehehehehehe," Horio laughed in embarrassment.

Oishi stood facing his doubles partner, tennis ball in hand. Many thoughts were running through his mind, but you wouldn't know that by looking at his calm face. _I guess I should go easy on him. Eiji doesn't like to lose much. He comes crying to me and I don't like to see him sad. Although… I kind of like his face on my chest. He looks so cute when he's crying too. But still…he won't like it if I don't play seriously. I'd rather have him sad than mad at me. Can't be helped. I guess I'll take this match too._

"O-i-shi!" A high-pitched voice snapped him back to reality, "I won't lose this time!"

Oishi smiled. "Go ahead and try, Eiji."

"I won't lose!" The redhead pouted and pointed his racket towards Oishi, "and you have to play seriously!"

"Okay, let's go!"

* * *

"Come, Yuuta-kun," Mizuki Hajime of St. Rudolph gestured to the tensai's little brother.

"Mizuki-san. Just because you want to come, why do you have to drag me with you?" Fuji Yuuta questioned.

"I thought you might want to see your brother. Don't you?"

_No, that's you, _he thought. "Aniki is aniki. I'm telling you, I only like him because he's my aniki."

"Don't give me that. I know you like Fuji in more ways than a brother," Mizuki assumed.

Yuuta let out a series of hacking coughs, which were obviously fake.

"My, that's quite a cough you have there, Yuuta-kun," Mizuki twirled a strand of hair near his ear and speculated, "or are you just jealous that I'm your brother's only true rival?"

Again, Yuuta let out a series of fake coughs, but this time incorporating sneezes with them.

"Are you sure you're not sick?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright. Come along now, Yuuta-kun," Mizuki ordered, manipulating his way through the brush and toward the courts, where cheers and shouts could be heard.

**Day 3 – Friday**

Dear Diary,

It's lunchtime and he's sitting in that tree right now. I just can't take my eyes off him. He's so cute. Right now, his cat is nestled in his arms. I don't know what it's doing here, but he's stroking it gently with a loving expression on his face. The cat must be enjoying it. I can hear it's purrs from over here. Sometimes, I wish I was his cat. If I was, he would love me and hold me in his arms too. I would snuggle close to his chest and fall asleep with his gentle touch. Of course, I can't be a cat, but I still wish he liked me. His kitty seems to be the only one he loves…

No! I can't lose to an animal! And to a male one at that! I'm going to walk up to him right now and talk to him.

-Ryuzaki Sakuno

Sakuno put down her pink bunny stationary and got up from the bench she was sitting on, hidden from Ryoma's view. She took a deep breath and straightened her body. Then she lifted her right foot and started to take a step forward, but paused midway. She skittered back onto the bench and gasped, "I can't do it!"

* * *

Fuji Syusuke was watching her distress the whole time she was writing in her diary and tried to walk up to Ryoma. He saw her stare longingly at Karupin, the cat. _Well, I can't blame her, _he thought, _I wish I was his cat sometimes too, but then…if I think like that, what will happen to my pride? I absolutely refuse to lose to an animal in such an unsightly and cowardly way. It's male too! Sure, I'm also male, but I'm as feminine as a guy can get. I can pass for a girl easy._

As if to prove his statement true, Fuji stepped into view and walked up to Ryoma.

The tensai asked, "Echizen, are you busy after school? There's no practice today."

Ryoma diverted his attention from Karupin to the ever-smiling boy, "No, I'm not doing anything after school."

"Do you want to go out with me?"

Ryoma looked at his senpai, puzzled. What was Fuji-senpai thinking? He didn't mean what it sounded like, right? Maybe he meant to go to the tennis courts. Yeah, that was it. That's all.

"Sure. I'll meet you at the tennis courts," he answered and walked to class at the gong of the bell.

* * *

With Karupin in his bag, Ryoma proceeded to his shoe locker at the end of the day. He switched his more formal school shoes with his Fila sneakers. Much against his will, he found his thoughts wandering toward the incident at lunch. He thought he saw a long chestnut braid from that bench to his left, but that could've been his imagination. He felt a blink of disappointment that it wasn't Sakuno, but was disgusted at himself for thinking that a moment later. What use was a relationship in junior high? It would interfere with his tennis career.

Ryoma still couldn't figure out why Fuji-senpai would ask him that so suddenly, but he wasn't one to dwell on unimportant matters, so he pushed the thought aside.

Karupin squirmed inside the black bag. First, he decided, he would take Karupin back home. His brown and white cat had somehow snuck inside the bag in the morning without Ryoma noticing it until he got to school.

* * *

Fuji walked with dainty steps, tennis bag slung across his shoulder, to the destination of his date with Ryoma. _I was hoping for a date outside of the courts, _Fuji contemplated, _but I can't be too greedy. This is better than nothing. He wouldn't understand anyway if I asked him for a real date, but that's what so adorable about him._

He climbed the long flight of stairs to the public courts. Ryoma was already there, situated on the bench, fixing his shoelaces.

"I'm glad you came, Echizen," Fuji let him know of his presence.

"Hello, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma responded, picking up his racket with his left hand, "I hope you're ready."

"Never been readier."

* * *

"Oi, Oishi." The Golden Pair was strolling along the streets together. "Where are we going?

"You'll see when we get there," Oishi told Eiji calmly.

"But why can't you tell me what you want to tell me here?" Eiji complained for the 14th time.

"Because…don't ask so many questions!" Oishi responded for the 14th time.

They went up the stairs Fuji and Ryoma had just crossed about ten minutes ago.

"Look, Oishi! Ochibi and Fujiko-chan are here too!" Eiji stated in delight. Fuji and Ryoma did not seem to notice the doubles specialists. Oishi looked a bit disappointed. He had wanted them to be alone

Eiji didn't notice Oishi's letdown, but rather suggested, "Why don't we play a game too?"

The other had to smile at that. "You couldn't beat me yesterday. Why don't you practice more before another challenge?"

"Nya! Don't remind me! I want to go home now," Eiji said on the verge of tears and completely forgetting that it was Oishi who invited him along.

Oishi chased after him, cursing at himself all the while.

* * *

She didn't know why she went, but she did. As soon as she saw Fuji and Ryoma leave Seishun Gakuen, she just had to follow, despite the fact that she had tennis practice. She would get punished for that later, but it didn't matter right now. Tomoka would also punish her for not waiting for her.

Perhaps, it was because of the conversation she had overheard between Fuji and Ryoma at lunch. Or perhaps it was because of a gut feeling. It was also probable that she had meant to go home, but accidentally took a wrong turn due to her poor sense of direction, and by chance landed herself at this location. But that didn't explain why she was in her tennis sneakers. Whatever the reason, Sakuno found herself hiding in the brush watching the two regulars fight for the win. She had also bumped into Eiji and Oishi coming down the stairs, but gave them no heed. She concentrated all her attentions on her crush.

The game count was 1-0 with Fuji in the lead. Sakuno hoped that would change. Somehow, the two on the courts managed to strike up a conversation while still playing at the same time.

"You've gotten better, Echizen, but…it's still too early to best me. Tsubame Gaeshi!" Fuji announced one of his triple counters. The ball slid on the ground with no bounce causing Ryoma to lose the point. 30-15.

Ryoma looked at the path the ball had traveled along. "Hmm. Fuji-senpai's gotten better too.

"No need to compliment me," Fuji stated, eyes closed in an amused smile.

A "Sugoi!" slipped from Sakuno's mouth. Maybe a bit too loud, but they didn't seem to hear.

They returned to their positions, Fuji still smiling benignly. _It amuses me, Echizen, _Fuji thought to himself, _how far you will go for the win. I love the exasperated you. I love the determined look you get when you're pushed past your limits. For that reason, I will go all out._

"Higuma Otoshi!" Fuji unleashed the second of his triple counters, "Sate…let's see how far you can go, Echizen."

The game went on in an equal pace. Each time, they changed courts Sakuno could see Ryoma up close. She could see each strand of black-green hair that flowed in the wind. She could see his olive eyes that told everyone, "I will win!" She could see every bead of sweat on his forehead that indicated he was having fun. She could see his definite stance as he walked by. She could see his calm yet aroused nature of his childish yet mature visage. She could see his tight grip on the racket and although he couldn't see her, she blushed and covered her face with her hands.

Finally, the game ended with 7-5. Fuji emerged the victor. They walked up to each other and shook hands, rackets tucked below their left arms.

"That was a great game, Echizen," Fuji complimented.

"Aa…" Ryoma agreed unenthusiastically and pulled his cap down further to cover his eyes and nose.

"Hmm. There seems to be a little kitty over there," Fuji pointed toward the bush where Sakuno was taking refuge, a smile sadistically playing on his curved lips.

"Hmm? Really?" Echizen now turned towards her. It seemed that he had known all along. He showed no reaction of surprise. Sakuno blushed and hid her face. Then she rose from the dirt and walked forward, head down and still blushing.

"Ryuzaki-san…what were you doing there?" the tensai insinuated.

She looked up at Ryoma, whose eyes seemed to bore a hole right through her. She gave a small yelp and stuttered, "Um…uh…I-I was just…um…I wasn't doing anything…suspicious…or…something…I was just…um…inspecting the leaves…yeah…" She tried to smile at them while mentally kicking herself for the lame excuse.

"We understand, Ryuzaki-san," Fuji set his hand on Sakuno's shoulder. She grimaced. "We'll let you go. But don't let us catch you next time, okay?" Fuji smiled sweetly into her eyes. Sakuno's face turned red. Ryoma neither said a word or reacted.

"Hai…" Sakuno said meekly and quickly sprinted away, face growing even redder.

* * *

I'm sorry nothing really happens in this chapter. I promise it'll get better. 


	2. The Date

I do not own Prince of Tennis. I do not care what you say. I do not know where I'm going with this. I do not think this chapter is better than the previous

* * *

**Day 4 – Saturday**

Dear Diary,

I'm so anxious. Obaa-chan just told me that he's going to coach me in tennis today. What should I do? I just know I'll embarrass myself again. Somehow, I'll slip up and make it seem like he's a bad coach. I hope I've improved. I don't want to make myself look that bad. What should I wear? Maybe I should wear my new pink outfit instead of the usual white one. Okay, so nothing really changes except for the color and the picture of the teddy bear, but it still matters, right? Should I make lunch for him too? But this isn't a date. What if he doesn't like it again? Maybe I shouldn't. But then, I'll seem like a bad student. What should I do?

-Ryuzaki Sakuno

* * *

Oishi held the phone in his right hand, his left index finger poised over the last number. He wondered why he had dialed in the first place. Doubts always got in the way and this was no exception. Maybe he shouldn't tell him over the phone… Well, he'll at least invite him over.

"Moshi moshi?" Eiji's loud voice called over the phone. Oishi was too stunned to speak and continued to stare at the numbers. "Moshi moshi? Is anyone there?" Eiji spoke again.

Oishi shook his head to get his mind focused and put the receiver to his ear. "Ah, Eiji?"

"Oishi! What's up?"

"Um…uh…can you come over…sometime today?"

There was silence, then Eiji's apologetic voice, "Gomen, Oishi. I already have something planned with Momo-chan."

"Oh, I see…" said the dark-haired boy and slowly put down the phone despite Eiji's voice still coming over it, "But Oishi… Eh? Oishi? Oishi!"

On the other side of the line, the jumpy boy took the phone off his ear and looked at it puzzled. "He hung up… Why couldn't he have waited a little longer? I was going to invite him with us. That meanie!"

"Oh well…" and he set the phone down again.

* * *

"Oyaji," Ryoma called, "why do I have to go coach her again?"

"Don't ask questions. Just go," Nanjirou waved a dismissive hand at him. He sat with his back facing his son.

"Didn't Ryuzaki-sensei ask you again?" Ryoma argued. He was fed up with his so-called dad. He never did anything himself and just sat there staring at exposed girls. It wasn't fair but he wouldn't give the monk the satisfaction of the knowledge that he was annoyed.

"Well, I'm busy. I have to sweep around the plants, change the soil, polish the bell, wash the floors, and a bunch of other things," he lied.

"Then you should've done it yesterday when you were looking at porn. You make Nanako do it anyway."

"It's not my fault. You don't do them."

"They're your responsibility. What kind of father makes their son do their work and a guest as a second resort?"

"Whatever. Just go."

"Yarou…" Ryoma muttered.

* * *

"Momo-chan! Where are we going!" Eiji complained, slumping as he walked, "I'm tired!"

"You wouldn't be so tired if you didn't complain so much, so shut up!" Momo yelled at the redhead, "Besides, we're almost there. Trust me; this arcade will be worth the walk. There's laser tag too."

"But we've been walking for hours!"

"Actually that was 30 minutes," said Momo, pointing at his wristwatch.

"Well, it seemed like hours."

The energetic duo walked in silence for about two minutes. Eiji started wishing he had gone to Oishi's house. Momo started wishing he hadn't invited this guy to go with him when the violet-eyed guy shouted, "Hey, isn't that Inui-senpai over there?"

"Eh! Where!" Eiji asked, glad for something to break the silence.

"Over there!" Momo pointed to a silhouette in the alley.

"Heh heh heh. Ii data," it said.

Eiji gasped, "It really is Inui! What is he doing here? Oi! Inui!" Both Momo and Eiji ran towards him.

The data man turned around to shush both of them, "Shh! They're going to hear you."

"Who?" Momo and Eiji whispered in unison.

"Echizen and Ryuzaki are on a date."

"Where! Where!" They shouted at once, forgetting to whisper or speak quietly.

Inui pointed to some public tennis courts around the corner. The figures of the capped boy and the braided girl were distinct against the other players. Ryoma sat on the blue bench, chin on hands, while Ryuzaki hit the yellow ball to a wall.

"They really are on a date!" Eiji couldn't fully believe it. Echizen on a date? For some reason, Echizen and date didn't really fit together.

Momo folded his arms and said proudly, "That Echizen. He's finally getting a move on. He's good at tennis, but when it comes to—"

"Shush! I can't hear them!" Eiji snapped at Momo.

To show that his remark had offended him, Momo gave his senpai a hard hit on the head.

"Itai!"

-----

"Hold your racket at the end. Widen your shoulders a bit." was the first thing they heard from Ryoma. The spying trio's heads dropped to indicate failure.

"Mou…Ryoma-kun," begged Sakuno.

"Bend your knees a little more," Ryoma instructed, ignoring the plea and making no effort to physically correct her form. He didn't feel like getting close. He added, "Hit the ball," when the girl swung hard and missed it by a large margin. "And your hair is too long," he had almost forgotten to say that.

The trio slunk downward.

"My hair has nothing to do with this!" Sakuno retorted. He ignored this as well.

"Didn't you improve at least a little since last time?"

The statement earned "Last time?" and various other remarks from Momo and Eiji.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you," Sakuno apologized, "This is a waste of your time, right?"

_Damn right it is_, he thought, but he said, "Hold your racket lower."

"Ah, hai!"

"Not that low."

"Hai…"

At this point, Momo, Eiji, and Inui had already dropped to the ground. COMPLETE FAILURE! Fed up with Ryoma's behavior, Eiji jumped up and screamed, "Ochibi! What do you think you're mmfm?" Inui had covered the energetic boy's mouth.

"Do not say a word." Inui had a particularly dark look on his face and his white glasses glinted in the sunlight while his face remained in the alley, adding to the effect. Eiji nodded curtly, sapphire eyes wide, not daring to breathe.

-----

_I'm really glad Ryoma-kun came, but I wish he was a little less harsh. I practiced a lot and I know I have improved because my senpais told me. But then again, I may just seem small to him since he's so talented. But am I that bad that he won't even have a practice match with me? _Sakuno wailed silently.

As if reading her mind, the boy suggested, "Why don't we have a practice match?"

Sakuno looked up, earth-colored eyes wide with shock. Had she said that out loud? No, she didn't think she did. But Ryoma-kun was always a sharp one. "Is that okay, Ryoma-kun?"

"It's fine." He felt he had to do something more than just sit there and order her around. Besides, he felt that she was getting annoyed at him and that bothered him.

"Arigatou! Sorry if I'm bothering you." He heaved a sigh of relief. That eager statement meant that everything was fine and she wasn't mad.

In response, he pulled down his cap in case his face was pink and said, "It's nothing." He didn't blush easy like her, but the burning in his cheeks told him that something had happened. Not to mention in the jump in his heart. Wait, what was this? He didn't like her. He didn't. He didn't!

He repeated those two words all the time he was lecturing her on all the mistakes she made during the match, but somehow he had a hard time convincing himself.

-----

"Ah, look! She's giving Ochibi something!" Eiji pointed at a small black box in Sakuno's hands.

"It looks like a bento," Inui observed.

Eiji exclaimed, "Oh, Inui, you were still here!" earning him a disapproving look from the tall manager.

A loud growl resounded from the alley behind Eiji. "Is there an animal in here?" he asked and looked around.

"Ah, no, Eiji-senpai. That was my stomach," Momo spoke up, "I'm going to McDonalds to get something to eat."

"Okay! Bye-bye!"

-----

"Ano…Ryoma-kun, I made lunch for us…" Sakuno handed him a bento and chopsticks.

"Ah, arigatou." Ryoma didn't really feel hungry, but he wasn't a rude person, so he took a bite. He hoped that she wouldn't snatch it away and run off mid-meal like that time when he taught two jerks whose names he couldn't remember a lesson, because it was scrumptious. He still remembered how he had looked away for one minute to comment on the guy with the bad form, only to find that the delicacy had disappeared. As a result, he had to eat Tomoka's lunch, which wasn't bad; it was better than what he could do, but he still preferred Sakuno's. He hung his head low that time to avoid what humiliation he could. He never found out why she took it away.

"Ano…how is it? Is it bad?" Sakuno cut the memory short.

"It's okay," he answered.

The girl seemed relieved. She was glad that he didn't push the box away or say "mada mada dane." She had practiced hard on her cooking skills since that embarrassing incident.

-----

Momo came back with an armful of burgers. Eiji and Inui stared at him disbelievingly and Inui scribbled something in his trusty green notebook.

"What?" Momo said innocently. The other two didn't say anything, but merely turned away.

Momo unwrapped the first burger and asked Inui between bites, "So how do you think it will go?"

"Probability that Ryuzaki likes Echizen, 100 percent. Probability that he returns those feelings, 62 percent. Probability of this date turning out romantically, however, is 0.02 percent. What do you think?"

"Um…that's…our Inui…" the violet-eyed boy said hesitantly.

A second loud growl interrupted their conversation. Inui immediately turned to look at Momo.

"Wasn't me this time." Momo waved his hands in denial.

Eiji rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "It was me," he admitted, eyeing the burgers in Momo's arms.

"Uh-uh. If you're hungry, go buy one yourself" Momo clung to his food tightly.

"But I don't want to miss any of it!" Eiji whined, "Come on, Momo-chan! You can't eat it all!" He lunged for the nearest one.

"Yes I can!" Momo shouted at the same time he jumped out of the cat's reach.

"Nya! Momo-chan's being mean!"

"Go buy some yourself!"

"Just one!"

"NO!"

Inui stood on the side and watched the noisy squabble. "Probability that this will go nowhere, 100 percent." The fighting boys ignored him and Inui went back to spying on the lovebirds.

-----

"Ah, it's 2:00. I'm sorry it passed your time," Sakuno apologized, "I hope you didn't have something important to do." Inui glared at the quarreling Momo and Eiji for distracting him from collecting data. They were leaving and he didn't fill up enough pages!

"No…" Ryoma assured her.

"Thank you for coming. Ano…it was fun. Sorry you had to coach someone this bad. Ano…I'll keep working hard. Sorry if I'm bothering you."

"Ne, can you stop saying sorry?" Ryoma was packing up his racket and paused to say that.

"Ah! Sorry! I mean…eto…uh…" She was at a loss for words. She didn't know what else to say except for sorry and now he was annoyed at her for saying sorry.

"It's okay," Ryoma slung his bag over his shoulder, "I'll see you at school." He walked away with his hands in his red and white jersey pockets.

Sakuno continued to stare at the direction Ryoma went off in long after he had vanished. Had he just said I'll see you at school? She didn't even know he knew they were in the same class. She smiled happily, feeling more confident in herself and she too, left with daydreams of the boy in her head.

-----

"Che, that was boring," Eiji stated, "I missed half of it because Momo wouldn't let me eat." Having fought for nearly half an hour, Eiji finally managed to wrestle a burger from him.

"Don't blame it on me. you could've just went and bought one yourself," Momo objected.

"But you had so much!"

"You know how much I eat!"

"Ahem," Inui cleared his throat.

"Eh? Inui? What is it?"

He replied darkly, "I couldn't take enough data because you two were fighting so loudly. What are you going to do about it?"

Momo and Eiji stopped glaring at one another. How do they react to this? Inui looked from Eiji to Momo. Then from Momo to Eiji. When neither responded, he walked away, mumbling to himself.

Only when Inui was a good distance away did Eiji say, "That was weird."

"Yeah…" Momo agreed.

"Ochibi is so dense. That baka!"

"That's right. He didn't even thank her for the lunch."

"Momo, all you think about is food."

"True."

"I think Ochibi likes Ryuzaki."

"Me too, but he's such an amateur. It's not good. Not good at all."

"Hoi, Momo, what did we come out to do again?"

"Who knows?"

"Oh well, let's go play a match!"

"Sure!"

**Day 5 – Monday**

Fuji looked at the two tickets in his hand. They were tickets for the jazz concert that Saturday. Fuji contemplated how he was going to convince Ryoma to go with him. Of course, they weren't going to be alone. His little brother, Yuuta and one other person would be there too. The tensai still remembered how he had "painstakingly convinced" Yuuta to take two of the tickets yesterday night.

"_What are you giving me these for, aniki?" he had asked._

"_They're for the concert of course," Fuji had answered as if that was the most obvious thing in Tokyo._

_This seemed to have annoyed Yuuta a bit, for his voice grew in volume as he said, "That's not what I meant. Why don't you give them to someone else, like Tezuka?" The sapphire-eyed boy flinched. "I don't even like jazz."_

_Fuji laughed and said, "Don't you think you should spend more time with your brother?"_

"_Yeah, but…"_

"_Great! We'll meet you there 30 minutes before it starts at 6:30. The extra ticket is for your date." Fuji then sprinted away to avoid any further questions. He could see that Yuuta had more to say, for his mouth had opened slightly._

"_Oi! Aniki!" Yuuta had called after him. He was going to ask what he meant by "we" but he decided he had more problems to worry about. Like whom he was going to bring._

Of course, Fuji couldn't use the same tactic on Ryoma, but then, he didn't think that Ryoma would be as reluctant as his brother. And it turned out he was right.

"Eh? Fuji-senpai? What's up?"

"Echizen, I hope you'll accept this and come on Saturday," Fuji prayed he would.

Ryoma took the ticket and looked at the cause and time. He didn't really enjoy jazz but that didn't matter. A free concert was a free concert away from oyaji. "Why me?"

"Well, I just thought we should spend more time together. Don't you think?"

Ryoma briefly wondered why Fuji-senpai didn't think he should spend more time with the other regulars, but pushed that thought away.

"Uh…sure…" was the reply and the chibi walked away, oblivious to the two brunettes behind the fountain spying on him.

Fuji heaved a sigh of relief and he too, walked away.

-----

"That cheat!" Tomoka exclaimed after the two regulars had disappeared.

"Ah! Tomo-chan, that's Fuji-senpai you're talking about!" Sakuno looked around to make sure no one had heard her best friend.

"Still, he doesn't have any right to steal Ryoma-sama away from you. Never!" Tomoka said with certainty.

Sakuno didn't really know what to say at this. "T-Tomo-chan, that's going too far. Ryoma-kun and I aren't…together." The last word was barely audible.

"Not yet, but you will be," Tomoka stated. She could feel her brain cells gathering the necessary components to the plan already.

"Tomo-chan…"


End file.
